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I don't know how to promote new shoots, but you could graft the top,  
and then plant below the graft to preserve the genotype for a bit  
while you figure out what else to do with it.  An added advantage is  
that you would create a young plant, which is easier to propagate  
further than an old moribund plant.

Ginda

On Jul 10, 2006, at 2:53 PM, oliver smith callis wrote:

> Hello All,
> I am conducting a heritage fruit tree preservation project in my  
> area, Utah Valley, Utah. I have just come across a stand of peach  
> trees which are around 100 to 120 years old. The grandson of the  
> man who planted the trees said that his great grandmother brought a  
> peach tree here from France which was used as the rootstock. The  
> trees are in bad shape as horses have been kept in the orchard they  
> are in, and may not last long. It seems to me that this would be a  
> good rootstock to preseve as most commercial orchardists in my area  
> say that peach trees don't typically last longer than 25 years.  
> Does anybody have any info on stimulating a root into producing a  
> tree or any other means of propogating the rootstock? An orchardist  
> here suggested "hitting them with nitrates in the spring" to get  
> something off of the roots. I would prefer to use a biodynamic/ 
> organic method of propogation, any input would be great.
> Much appreciated,
>
> --
> Oliver Smith Callis